Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has reportedly been removed as Marseille’s captain after rejecting a £15million transfer to Newcastle last week.Hojbjerg played 90 minutes for the French side against Atletico Madrid on Friday, but he did so without the armband.Hojbjerg (left) has lost the captain’s armband for Marseille after rejecting NewcastleAFPFrench news outlet RMC Sport claim the Danish midfielder has been punished by club chiefs for angering them with his decision.Newcastle approached Marseille to try and sign Hojbjerg as a potential replacement for Bruno Guimaraes.The Magpies wanted some extra experience added to the squad after losing their captain to Arsenal for £75m.However, Hojbjerg turned down the chance to return to the Premier League in a deal that was set to be worth £15m.That would have frustrated Newcastle, but it has also left Marseille angry, with owner Frank McCourt alleged to be fuming.And so much so, McCourt and the Ligue 1 side’s management are said to have opted to strip their midfielder of captaincy, handing it to Timothy Weah instead.They reportedly wanted the transfer to happen to bring in some much-needed funds and reduce their wage bill. The club want individual interests to take a back seat to overall interests – so to prove that stance, they have punished Hojbjerg.Could Hojbjerg still leave Marseille? Hojbjerg’s full involvement in Marseille’s friendly on Friday, despite not being captain, indicated he could still stay at the club.But there is still interest from other teams in Europe, including Serie A giants AC Milan, according to reports in Italy.Hojbjerg angered Marseille chiefs by turning down a return to EnglandGetty Images - GettyRuben Amorim could be looking to add some new faces to his squad amid a refresh of players following his appointment.Amorim has recently put Fikayo Tomori, Christopher Nkunku and Youssouf Fofana up for sale.Should any of those players leave, particularly midfielder Fofana, Milan could potentially make a move for Hojbjerg.Hojbjerg labelled ‘incredibly average’Hojbjerg has played 254 Premier League games throughout his career, starring for Tottenham and Southampton.But the 31-year-old opted not to make a move back to England, leaving Newcastle having to look at other options. However, talkSPORT’s Jeff Stelling doesn’t think the Magpies missed out on much by the Dane rejecting them.Stelling thinks Newcastle haven’t missed out on much by Hojbjerg not joiningGetty“I know they wanted experience, he’s 31 and he’s done well at Marseille,” Stelling said on talkSPORT Breakfast.“But his last season at Tottenham, he made eight Premier League starts and didn’t play successive Premier League games at all.“I think he’s incredibly average.”Last season, Hojbjerg played 43 games for Marseille, scoring five goals and assisting another five.But his future at the club remains in doubt, particularly now that he has lost the captain’s armband.